Monday, February 9, 2009

Day 5: Dre Kirkpatrick (DB - Gadsden City.) Dre Kirkpatrick is a five-star cornerback and rated as the number one cornerback in the nation, according to Rivals.com. His presence on the field showed early in his career at Gadsden City. As a Sophomore, Dre recorded 55 tackles and 5 interceptions. In 2007, as a Junior, he had a total of 58 tackles and 6 interceptions. He recorded his only two sacks in his career as a Senior, going along with 80 tackles and 6 interceptions as a highly profiled DB. With the great defensive play in high school, it also came with all of the schools after the DB. Kirkpatrick officially visited Alabama, Florida, and Texas last month. He visited The Capstone on January 9th and was recruited by Bobby Williams. On January 16th Dre took his second official visit to The Swamp in Gainesville, followed by visiting Austin, TX. Head Coach In-Waiting Will Muschamp and Duane Akina tried to lure Kirkpatrick out of the SEC when having the DB visit on January 23rd. Other schools that were interested were Clemson (recruited by former Bama WR Dabo Swinney), Georgia (Rodney Garner), Auburn, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, USC, and Tennessee. Kirkpatrick made it official on signing day with the Tide. Dre can easily find himself competing for playing time this fall in practice. The departure of key individuals on defense, Coach Saban may find himself looking towards Kirkpatrick stepping in and producing early. Standing at 6'2 and weighing 180 lbs., he brings a great stature to go along with his 4.5 40 time. Dre's bench max is recorded at 230 lbs., 355 lbs. squat max, and a 30 inch vertical. If his progress continues on the field, he can join the likes of Antonio Langham and other greats to play DB at The Capstone.